Summer Storm
by NslashG
Summary: [NickGreg] Nick finds it difficult to cope... Warning: Character Death.


Summary: Nick finds it difficult to cope…

The darkness blinded him; the silence deafened him, except for the unregulated flashes and rumbles that echoed all around him.

The rough surface of the outside wall scraped angry red marks down Nick's shirt clad back, as he slid down onto the rain sodden grass just outside his front door. Their front door.

Grissom had sent him home from work early; the older mentor seeing that he shouldn't have been back yet, he was so obviously not ready. Nick hadn't even protested, he'd merely nodded and headed back to his truck without even changing clothes, which had been one rule he'd always stood by. The thought hadn't even crossed the Texan's mind as he trudged out of the cursed building. He couldn't have cared less if he never saw it again. Nick had driven blindly back to their home with no idea of how he'd made it back alive with the state he was in. So that was how he'd ended up; collapsed on the ground a couple of yards away from shelter from the rain. He hardly even noticed. He needed the emotional release, but found little.

The summer storm continued to rage all around him, the soft rain caressing his face, doing nothing to relieve him of the pain inside. The refreshing drops only a reminder of the tears he'd already shed; only to be pursued by more, never drying out.

Soaked to the bone, head in hands, tainted tears mingling with the innocent droplets of water, Nick sat sobbing. Heart-wrenching cries escaped his lips that were warm only a short while ago, but were now cold and blue, devoid of what they once survived on; Greg. Now that Greg had been taken from him he just felt numb. Nothing could compare to that feeling of anguish.

Nick had always thought he was emotionally strong; then again he had never been in love before; before Greg. Nick remembers his mother telling him when he was 17, '_You never truly feel until you are in love; then you feel everything infinitely stronger_'. Nick's mother was a wise woman. She also told him a few years later '_Do not give up your heart lightly, you never know who's hands you are putting it in_.'

This last statement wrenched Nick's heart out now. He had put his heart in Greg's hands, only for him to twist it in his grip. It was totally unintentional but that did nothing to end Nick's grief. He needed to blame someone.

"Why did this have to happen to us, Greg? Surely we didn't deserve this? WHY DID YOU GO AND LEAVE ME LIKE THIS?" Nick shouted out into the empty garden, hair plastered to his skull.

No answer.

Of course there wasn't. Nick didn't even expect there to be. Still, it didn't stop Nick from filling the empty void inside of him with anger. Anything was better than the coldness that had been with him for the past two weeks. He figured that the only way for this to end was for Greg to be brought back to him; impossible, or for him to join Greg; unlikely. Nick didn't have the strength to do that, even if he was strong.

All Nick could do was suffer. Suffer as Greg had.

Getting up from the squelching ground, Nick stood in front of their door, face tear-stained, nostrils flaring, and jaw stiff in the effort to not scream.

And with two clenched fists and a guttural scream, Nick pounded the door; releasing all of the hate, grief and loneliness he had been holding in for the past weeks.

" WHY? WHY US? WHY DID IT HAVE TO BE YOU? WHY DID YOU HAVE TO BE IN THE LAB? WHY DID YOU DO THIS TO ME! HOW DARE YOU LEAVE ME! Come back Greggo. I need you. Please come back…I'm begging you…Please…" Nick trailed off, his voice lost to the howling rain-driven winds.

The guilt over blaming it all on Greg hit him, dulling the searing pain that erupted through his fists, and he slumped against the doorframe, banging uselessly until he lost all energy and slid back onto his doorstep.

"Please…"

Curling up into a ball with his arms wrapped around his legs, face buried against his knees, Nick slowly started rocking backwards and forwards, weeping uncontrollably until no difference could be told between the salty tears and the fresh raindrops that continued to fall.

A soft tap on his arm brought his head back up. He gazed into the green eyes of Warrick, full of empathy and understanding, who was crouched down next to him, a gentle hand placed on his shoulder.

"Let's get you inside" The few words were spoken softly, as Warrick kept his voice barely above a whisper, in an attempt to try and tell Nick that it was ok, that it was alright to cry.

Nick merely nodded, knowing that staying out here wasn't going to help anyone, as his friend helped him to his feet and walked into his house. He had all the release he was likely to have from his grief for the time being, and trampled into their house, following Warrick, leaving the destruction outside and closing the door behind himself.


End file.
